The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-20
LAWTON'S BIG STEAL.
He Took Everything in Sight. and Left No
Trace-UiS Chief Clerk Also Disappears.

New YORK, March ia morning paper
had business transactions with Walter E. Law
ton is that within the last four weeks Lawton
has been getting together all the hard cash pos
sible. His wide acquaintance and his unim-
peached credit enabled him to do this in a great
many different ways and he seems to have used
them all. There seems to be a suspicion, also,
that he has taken rich wife with him. There
were two rich widows in town, so it is said ia
the street, who wanted to marry him. although. /
as one Of his victims says, the old fellow was
about as handsome as red mad;' but 1t was COM
mon gossip in January that he was going to
marry again. just one week before the day he
left his Office for good he was in a bank doing
some business, and he quietly sat down, and,
taking pencil, figured up his wealth as ST. 000,
600 to the satisfaction of the president. Wneu
Lawton walked out the president said to another
officer of the bank "There goes an old fellow
worth solid million" Another of his games
came to light yesterday. He owned a tract Of
GOO acres of land, known as the Island, at
Little Ferry, N. j.. with large water front on
the Hackensack river. Swampgr and cat
tails covered it. A finely yexecuted map is in ex-
park. with magnificent residence, groves and
drives, and the river front white with the sails
of yachts. 1t is said to have been Mr.. Lawton's
intention to dispose of the property to syndi-
cate OF English capitalists representing it as an
aristocratic suburb Of New York.
Abram King, of No 261 Broad way, who has
obtained some 1928, coo worth Of attachments
against the estate of Lawton, said to day that
the missing mans safe had been opened and
found to contain not dollar that could be ap-
piled to the settlement of Lawtons personal
estate The only things found in the safe were
the books of the various mpanies in which he
was interested. The safe opening. also, showed
that Lawton had totally destroyed not only his
check books, but his cash book led ger and office
files SO that the last straw that the creditors
| clung to, that of unrayeling the mans mysteri-
Gus actions is gone.
The whereabouts of Rufus Y. Kirkland the
confidential clerk and partner OF Walter f. Law
ton. who absconded on Tuesday, taking with him
over half million dollars, is almost as little
known tnat of Lawton. Kirkland has not
| been at the Office of the Navassa company for
two days, and the story is told at the Office
| of the Ammoniate and Oil Company. of which
| he was also partner with Lawton The suppo-
| sition is that he has gone away, as he went to
| the depot with Lawton and then took out ar
| tachments against Lawtons property, which he
himself had a share in. The sheriff is still in
| possession of Lawtons Broadway Office. and
| what books are left are still untouched in the
safe. The creditors have not yet been called to-
| eether, nor has any attempt been made to settle
/ with them. Mr.. Jones. of the Delta Actin
Company, the principal stock of which was
owned BY Lawton. said to- day that the creditors
| would not suffer much, as the attachments he
had obtained would be used for the benefit of tbo
creditors in general The property at Little
! Ferry, n. j., was worth about $500, 0o0 and the
| Island of Navassa would also be attached. No
| estimate of the liabilities be yet made, as
the Lawton firm had paper scattered all over the
country. The principal loss, it is believed, will
| fail on the banks.